Photo Essay | Sweet Axe O’ Mine: Base Camp X Titanis Axe

Sunday, 6:45pm | If someone were to tell you that swinging an axe is an art form, you might initially think of the actual technique, but there’s also the implement itself. No, not the quick grab at Home Depot, but more so the Paul Bunyan harking metal and steel apparatus designed with a single purpose: felling. A few weeks ago we received such an implement, the Base Camp X Titanis Axe ($445): a 30″ behemoth packing a 5 lb head and 7″ long cutting edge. As you’d expect in an axe, the components that make up the Titanis are simple, yet exquisitely executed. A beautifully hand-forged steel block, individually precision ground and hardened sits atop 30″ of Tennessee Hickory making this not only a heavy-duty timber mincer, but also an exercise in restrained design; it’s equally stunning mid-swing as it is mounted on a wall. This past weekend, we decided to capture the Titanis in a photo essay. Pixels really do belie the beauty of this beast.

The Briefing

Long gone are the days when the commuter bike was an old-school mountain bike with a potpourri of parts and a rear wheel that was only roughly true. A rise in people looking to build fitness, lower their carbon footprint or simply have fun while getting around has created a big market for commuter bikes. Here are some of our favorites for 2015.